Great
Food
In Residential Dining Services we care deeply about the student experience and take food safety very seriously. This means sourcing high quality products, creating nutritious and diverse menu options, training a highly skilled culinary team, upholding high-quality food standards, and practicing staff accountability.
All our dining units operate under the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points system (HACCP), which is used to identify food safety risks and implement corrective actions when needed.
Partnership With CSU Environmental Health Services and the Larimer County Health Department
We work very closely with Environmental Health Services (EHS) and the Larimer County Health Department to ensure the food served in our dining facilities meets all state and national food safety regulations in Colorado and the National ServSafe program. Both agencies regularly inspect our facilities. All inspection reports received by these offices or follow-up reports from incidents are available at this link. Users may search each establishment by name to locate past reports.
How To Report A Food Safety Or Quality Concern
Report a Concern to Environmental Health Services (EHS) OR Email EHS
You may also contact Residential Dining Services through one of the following methods:
- Email rds@colostate.edu
- Call (970) 491-4754
- Ask to speak with a manager on duty directly as soon as you suspect a problem with your food.
Please do not report food safety concerns through our Text and Tell app only, as we/EHS will need to reach you to get more information.
Food Safety & Quality Assurance Specialist
Residential Dining Services employs a Food Safety and Quality Assurance Specialist who assists dining units in upholding food safety practices, conducting additional inspections, and training staff on new procedures and changes in food code policy.
Employee training
All employees, from student-hourly to full-time professionals, undergo ongoing training to ensure food safety, food quality, and customer service. This allows us to maintain a high-quality experience for our customers as well as retain and develop employee talent.
- Every new employee is required to meet with the Food Safety and Quality Assurance Specialist within their first few weeks of employment.
- Student Managers are required to be ServSafe Food Protection Manager certified.
- Student Supervisors are required to be Food Handler certified through the online State Food Safety program.
- Entry-level Food Service Workers have the option to be certified as a ServSafe Food Handler (or higher), but they must be Food Protection Manager certified before advancing to a cook. Recertification for the Food Handler program is every three years.
- Every full-time employee is required to be ServSafe Food Protection Manager certified within their first six months of employment and must be recertified every five years.
- A one-time HACCP Standard Operating Procedures training is required for all full-time employees within their first six months of employment.
- Every new full-time employee is also required to meet with the department’s Executive Chef for kitchen etiquette expectations and culinary skills training.
- All full-time employees receive annual allergy and cross-contact retraining with the Registered Dietitian.
Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points system (HACCP)
- Routine food safety inspections are completed by EHS
- Hourly food temperature checks and information logging, with documentation held for 6 months
- Robust food safety training and testing of all staff are conducted routinely through the national ServSafe program
- Staff accountability practices, such as retraining and disciplinary action in cases of violation
- Safety and sanitation inspections are conducted monthly by Residential Dining leadership, with follow-up performed as necessary
- Employee adherence to all University sick policies, including daily illness tracking and monitoring
- Good handwashing and proper glove use practices are taught and enforced by management daily
- Residential Dining leadership review of vendors’ food safety practices, including regular visitation of production sights to ensure product quality
- Routine walkthroughs of serving areas and dining rooms by management
- Strict recall and ingredient traceability procedures
- Food Defense Plan, which covers threats of biohazard, reviewed annually
- Food Allergy Management and Prevention Plan, which covers allergen identification, education, and mitigation
- Food Safety Advisory group, a management team that reviews adherence to and adjusts aspects of the food safety management system on an ongoing basis
Chef Ben Stratton
Executive Chef
All You Care to Eat Facilities
Chef Scott Clagett
Executive Chef
Retail and Catering Operations
Executive Chefs
- Chefs Ben and Scott work with each dining facility’s staff to develop high-quality, delicious meals that meet a wide variety of needs, provide comfort foods, and introduce customers to new cuisines.
- Our executive chefs also work with full-time staff to develop culinary skills and ensure all food safety, quality, sustainability, and financial standards are being met throughout the academic year.
- Chefs Ben and Scott also work in tandem with our Assistant Director of Culinary Excellence to secure our supply chain and source ingredients and equipment in the most responsible ways, avoiding unnecessary meal plan costs for students and giving back to our state economy whenever possible.
Dining Center Management
- In addition to our executive chefs, each dining facility is overseen by a General Manager and a Production Chef – you will regularly see these folks walking around the facility and interacting with staff and guests.
- These chefs are responsible for crafting special event menus, training staff, and ensuring our facilities are ready to serve you in every meal period. They are highly knowledgeable about all aspects of the operations within their units and can serve as a resource for how to best navigate the specifics of each dining center.
Special Events/Chef Spotlight
- Each semester, Residential Dining Services (RDS) hosts several special events for students, staff, faculty, and guests. Often, we partner with campus cultural centers to spotlight culturally important dishes and celebratory rituals. Other times, we like to bring a bit of whimsy and balance to our students’ rigorous academic calendars by throwing themed block parties or celebrating daily food holidays like National Pickle Day or May the Fourth.
- Students can also catch a monthly Eat Well @ CSU pop-up menu, designed by the registered dietitian and production chef, inspiring students with ways to incorporate healthy choices into a delicious menu. You can also enjoy a monthly Chef Spotlight event in each dining center, where our teams show off their creativity and culinary skills by bringing an elevated dish to the menu. Our chefs will agree that variety is the spice of life!
In Residential Dining Services (RDS), we pride ourselves on offering fresh meals made right on campus in all our dining operations. In our All You Care to Eat operations, we combine scratch-made and convenience ingredients to serve thousands of flavorful, delicious meals in a timely and cost-effective manner during every meal period. We also run a central kitchen where we prepare ingredients, entrees, snacks, beverages, desserts, and more for daily delivery to our retail operations.
Central Production Kitchen (CPK)
Our Central Production Kitchen houses a large-scale operation that provides baked goods and other treats to our All You Care to Eat locations, as well as fresh salads, sandwiches, bento boxes, rice bowls, healthy snacks, grab-and-go breakfasts and special diet options to our Marketplaces and Mini markets—every single day.
The CPK also features our gluten-free bakery, where all gluten-free desserts are made and packaged in a separate space—so everyone can enjoy a safe sweet treat.
Additionally, the CPK house the RDS Catering team.